Discover Staden: Heritage and Landscape

Staden offers several distinct points of interest to help you plan your trip: the landscape around Stadenberg, routes to green spaces, and a historical heritage that ranges from the rebuilding of the church to military structures. If you are looking for a hotel, this overview can help you decide in advance which themes you would like to focus on during your stay. The sites and routes offer different emphases: some focus on the landscape and route, while others highlight architectural history and remembrance.

Landscape and routes

Stadenberg reaches 45 metres and is the highest point in Staden; it is also part of the “Rug van Westrozebeke” ridge. The Nestkastwandeling follows existing walking and cycling paths to well-known and lesser-known green spaces. This route therefore focuses on the green spaces and existing paths. The Vrijbosroute has a different focus: it passes through Hooglede, Staden, Houthulst and Kortemark. This makes it easy to distinguish between a route focused on green spaces and one that passes through four municipalities.

Church architecture, remembrance and local history

The Sint-Jan-Baptist Church was rebuilt between 1920 and 1922 in the regional brick Gothic style. South of the church stands a war memorial dating from 1953, commemorating the military and civilian victims of the First and Second World Wars. The two sites have different roles: one draws attention to architectural style and reconstruction, while the other commemorates the victims of both world wars.

The “Track to Infinity” monument offers another connection to the history of war. Original railway sleepers from line 63 were used to create the monument; the line was used to evacuate wounded soldiers to base hospitals in France. The choice of material thus connects a specific construction component with the railway line’s former function.

The local history museum “Het Gebied van Staden” has been located at Marktplaats since 1980. If you are considering a visit, check the visiting arrangements in advance.

Military structures and their locations

The “Duitse bunker Houthulstbos” is a protected First World War monument in the territory of Staden, near the municipal boundary with Houthulst. It lies northeast of Houthulstbos and west of Vrijbosstraat. Despite its name, the monument is therefore located in the territory of Staden.

The “Ingebouwde Duitse militaire post Moortelbalk” is a partly underground concrete structure built into the cellar of a villa at Houthulststraat 11. It lies west of the centre of Staden, at the eastern foot of the rise near Stampkot in the hamlet of Moortelbak. The “Duitse militaire post Parnassusberg” is also a partly underground military concrete structure. It is located in a garden at Walstraat 18, immediately east of and behind the summit of Parnassusberg, on the eastern slope of the West Flemish ridge. The structures therefore differ both in how they are integrated and in their locations: Moortelbalk is built as the cellar of a villa, while the post at Parnassusberg is distinguished by its location near the summit area.

Discover more destinations: Westrozebeke, Knokke-Heist, Loppem, Zuienkerke, Dentergem, Vleteren, Roeselare, Avelgem.

For the regional travel overview: West Flanders.